Prayer Model (revisited)

On June 9, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Psalm 103: 20

Bless the LORD, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!

We have talked about prayer a good bit this year and I have tried to introduce you to a prayer model that may be a little different from what we learned as kids. I have also tried to show you the important role that angels and God’s Word play in prayer. This verse fairly shouts. God’s kingdom operates according to His Word and both God and His angels are listening, attentive to the utterance of His Word.

Most of us think of prayer as asking God for something or to do something. That is part of the conversation, of course. However, the church could benefit from a shift in thinking, a re-framing, if you will, about what prayer is. This is a bit of a tall task, but we can begin with us.

In truth, prayer can encompass a number of activities. I think the highest iteration of prayer is contemplative time with the Father. In this space there can be an exchange of questions, thoughts and ideas. It is not unreasonable to think that when the Father speaks, we might have questions. One of the craziest things I say when Yahweh shows me something is “You’re right.” Well of course He is right. He is always right but I have finally stopped correcting myself when I say that because it means more than validating His correctness.” And actually, it was the Father who said to stop going back and saying, “Of course you’re right.” What it really means is, “I see the value and truth in what you just said.” So this is really a dialogue between the two of us. He might say something which I immediately question. It does no good for Him to reveal something if I don’t understand it. The point I want to make here is that I consider all of this prayer.

Going one step further, I would include meditation in my prayer model. Why? First, I find that I cannot meditate without eventually opening my mouth in a question or comment. Meditation is a tool for bringing us into communion with God. Once there, though, I believe it becomes a conversation. Sometimes the conversation jars me out of the meditative state, other times it does not. Sometimes it jolts me into action. Other times I find myself sinking deeper into relaxed musings.

From there, what we vocalize can go far beyond simply asking God to do something. I think of that more as a request than a prayer. In the practice of law we would pray the court for a specific outcome. In other words, there would be a specific request for the court’s action. It, however, was preceded by the facts and a recitation of the law. In Christian prayer this would be the same as reciting God’s Word and then asking it to be done according to that Word. In other words, here is what the Word says and thus the result the spiritual laws must confer. This is the result I am asking for, Father, because your Word says this is how it is supposed to be. In this example we hold the Word up to God as our evidence that a certain result is “as it should be” and we speak that Word over ourselves.

The angels hear God’s Word and they always hearken to it. God responds to His Word. He has no choice, actually, because His Word, He cannot break. When the angels hear God’s Word, they hear His voice. His Word has His voice embedded in it. Do you want prayers answered? Speak God’s Word and the angels will most certainly respond because they are, in actuality, receiving direction from God.

I hope you will think on this some because I believe these ideas have the ability to transform your prayer life. Prayer is much more dynamic than we have modeled it to be. It is an exchange. It is us receiving the wisdom of God and then speaking it out. Prayer means communicating with God rather than reading Him a laundry list. It is as much about asking for His wisdom regarding a situation as it is about asking for a specific outcome. And, I think it is not about reciting every need we have to Him. He knows our needs already. He wants to know what we have to say about those needs and how we are going to frame them in the context of His Word.
After you have pondered this, send me an email with your thoughts.

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Angels

On November 16, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   3 Comments

Psalm 103: 20

Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!

We often limit our mental pictures of angels to those little cherubs we see around St. Valentine’s Day. It is good to realize that angels are mighty in strength.

We each have guardian angels, and those angels accompany us everywhere we go. How beneficial would it be if your angel is a fat little baby? We need mighty spirits guarding us and that is exactly what the Father has provided. We read here that these spirit beings are mighty in strength but I believe they are mighty in size as well. People who have seen angels report them as large beings. In addition, you are not limited to one angel. There may be ten standing around you at this moment. Can you picture that? What would you say to them? They can hear you. Feel free to talk with them. I have a friend who even knows her three angels’ names. What are the names of your angels?

I want you to notice the last phrase of today’s verse too. Besides protecting us, angels also bring God’s Word to pass. They listen for the Word of God. When they hear it, they go into action fulfilling it. It does not matter if the Word is spoken by God, or by you. When they hear God’s Word spoken, they leap into action.

It is in our best interest to learn how to cooperate with our angels. It begins by simply acknowledging their presence. Be aware of their presence with you. Recreate the angelic image you hold in your mind. See them as mighty warriors, full of strength and the Word. Then begin to utilize them to bring God’s Word to pass in your life. Speak the Word and give the angels something to do. They are magnetized to the Word of God so surround yourself with the Word and you will be surrounded by angels. Get to know your angels. Befriend them and then give them missions to accomplish by speaking God’s Word over your life.

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Holy Helpers

On March 2, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 1: 4          NIV

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

I have been trying to learn something about angels. Charity Kayembe wrote a nice piece on angels that stimulated me into thinking about them. You can find her angel article at www.cwgministries.org.

After Jesus was tested by Satan the text reads, “Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him” (Matthew 4: 11). Isn’t that interesting? It seems that one of the jobs of angels is to minister to the children of God. To minister to means to attend to the needs or wants of another. The angels are sent to attend to our needs and wants. This definition begins to describe their role for me. Until now, though, I have largely ignored their role and I believe that to be error. Angels are sent into the earth to help us. We don’t pray to them. We only pray to the Father in Jesus’ name but that is not to say that we can’t talk to them. I usually pray to the Father about them. I ask Him to station His angels around my property and to guard me while I travel. You can do the same thing.

Another thing to note is that angels are not little babies. They are big dudes! How would a little baby minister to your needs? I need strong warriors not infants and that is exactly what God sends. Look at this description of angels from Psalm 103: 20, “Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, which perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!” They are mighty in strength! Hallelujah! When the Roman guard went to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and hacked off the ear of one of the Roman soldiers. Jesus told him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26: 52 – 53).  He certainly was not imagining the Father sending 72,000 babies and I quite imagine that the idea of a pack of cherubs would not have comforted Peter and the disciples.

We need to get an accurate portrayal in our minds and spirits of these ministering spirits. They are powerful and they are sent to help us. But there is another key which we find in Psalm 103: 20. Did you notice the phrase, “obeying His word”? This is an extremely important and potent phrase and if we understand it we can really loose some power on our behalf. It means that the angels, those big dudes who are mighty in strength, hearken to the Word. Selah! Let’s stop and ponder that thought. Can you see all of scripture and the hundreds of devotionals you’ve read in your life all coming together in that one simple phrase? There is a powerful reason why ministers of the gospel have been teaching us to meditate in the Word and to follow that up by speaking the Word. Every time you speak the Word over a situation angels hearken to it. They are attracted to the Word of God.  In fact, they love the Word of God because they have a revelation about it. Conversely, notice that the scriptures do not say that the angels hearken to our whining and crying. We can moan and groan until the cows come home but it will do us no good. The angels are warriors who fight on our behalf but they need their marching orders. It is the Word of God which empowers and directs their actions. God said, “I am watching over My word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1: 12). When we speak His Word it releases His angels into our situation. I believe if we can receive even a small understanding of this dynamic it will change our lives and habits.

The Word is the sword of the spirit and the angels are spiritual warriors. They are ministers sent to attend to the needs and wants of the children. When you speak God’s Word you give them something to work with. Get to know your angels and start expecting them to help you. And every time you read your Bible just think that you are arming yourself with might and power. Then speak that Word into your life and allow God’s ministering spirits to move mountains for you.

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Angelic Action

On October 29, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 103: 20

Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!

You may or may not know much about angels. Here is one scripture that gives us some insight into their position in the Kingdom of God and relevance to our lives. Their role is to perform God’s word. When God wants a thing done, he speaks it and the angels go into action to perform that which he has spoken.

Romans 4: 17 says that God “calls into being that which does not exist.” He speaks out his word, calls light to be or whatever result he desires, and then his angels go about accomplishing that which was spoken. He has angels just standing by waiting to be given their marching orders. They await the spoken word of God and as soon as they hear it they hearken to it.

In the book of Daniel, the tenth chapter and twelfth verse, the angel responding to Daniel’s petitions said, “Your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.”

The angels are listening and awaiting the spoken word. When we speak God’s word, they are attracted to it. If you speak God’s word into a situation, then the angels are going to hearken to His word and fulfill it in the situation that you have spoken God’s word over. So, if you are in need of healing, speak healing scriptures. If you have needs to be met, speak God’s provision scriptures. No matter what situation you are challenged by, there is a specific word of God in the Bible that is applicable. Find that word and speak it until the might of God shows up on the scene.

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